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John William Gillis (October 31, 1936 – August 15, 2009), generally known as Bill Gillis, was a Canadian politician who served in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1970 to 1998. He represented the electoral district of Antigonish for the Liberals.
Bill Gillis | |
|---|---|
| MLA for Antigonish | |
| In office 1970–1998 | |
| Preceded by | William F. MacKinnon |
| Succeeded by | Hyland Fraser |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office June 27, 1996 – April 8, 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Bernie Boudreau |
| Succeeded by | Don Downe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 31, 1936 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died | August 15, 2009 (aged 72) Antigonish, Nova Scotia |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Occupation | Geologist |
Born in Boston, Massachusetts,[1] his family moved to Antigonish when he was six weeks old.[2][3] Gillis was a graduate of St. Francis Xavier University, and held a doctorate in geology from Pennsylvania State University.[4] Gillis was employed as a geologist with the Canadian Department of Energy, Mines and Resources from 1962 to 1967. He taught geology at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia from 1967 to 1970.[5] Gillis died on August 15, 2009, as a result of brain cancer.[2][6]
Gillis first attempted to enter provincial politics in the 1967 election, but lost to Progressive Conservative William F. MacKinnon by 26 votes.[7][8] He ran again in the 1970 election and defeated Progressive Conservative William Shaw by 408 votes to win the Antigonish riding.[9] On October 28, 1970, he was appointed by Premier Gerald Regan to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia as Minister of Agriculture and Marketing, and Minister of Municipal Affairs.[10] He was named Minister of Welfare in September 1972,[11] and was shuffled to Minister of Education in August 1973.[12] Gillis was re-elected in the 1974 election,[13] and remained as Minister of Education until February 1976 when he became Minister of Mines.[4]
Gillis was re-elected in the 1978 election,[14] but the Liberals were defeated[15] and he moved to the opposition benches for the next 15 years. During his years in opposition, Gillis was re-elected in the 1981,[16] 1984,[17] and 1988 elections.[18]
In the 1993 election, the Liberals led by John Savage won a majority government,[19] and Gillis was re-elected in his riding by over 4,000 votes.[20] On June 11, 1993, Savage appointed Gillis to cabinet as Deputy Premier and Minister of Justice,[21][22] becoming the first non-lawyer in the province's history to hold the justice job.[23] Gillis remained as Minister of Justice until June 26, 1996, when he became Minister of Finance, while being retained as Deputy Premier,[24] the two jobs he continued to hold after Russell MacLellan took over as premier in July 1997.[25] Gillis did not reoffer in the 1998 election.[26][27]
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